where the grass is greenest

The Word for today:
Numbers 16:1-35

The rebellion of Korah (Numbers 16) is rooted in jealous covetousness. Korah wanted to be something that God had not appointed him to be. Ultimately, he wanted to be high priest.

But Aaron was high priest, and because the high priest is a prophetic picture of Christ — the unique mediator between God and man -- there could only be one.

In the same way, in a time before time, Satan had wanted to be God:

How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
'I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.'
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Do the stories of Korah and Satan teach us, as Eastern religions do, that we should eradicate our desire for higher things?

No, the Bible does not teach the eradication of desire. What the Bible teaches is that our desires should stay on our side of the fence:

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. (Exodus 20:17)

This might surprise you, but coveting in and of itself is not immoral. It all depends on what we’re coveting:
But covet earnestly the best gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:31/KJV)
But earnestly desire the greater gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:31/NASB)

If we want to experience heaven in our hearts, there’s no need to tamp down desire. This may at first sound contradictory, but the Bible’s highest teaching on desire is to let your desire blaze away for the things you already have.

For example, the Song of Solomon presents the Bible’s idea of a heavenly marriage. Let’s listen to the Bride:
I am my beloved's,
And his desire is toward me. (Song 7:10)

Let that sink in. Let it infiltrate way down deep inside you. It’s a glimpse into Jesus’ heart and a key to the happiness of God, who maintains His desire for things that are already His:

I am my beloved's,
And his desire is toward me. (Song 7:10)

If you want a working definition of paradise, it’s the place where the grass is always greener on this side of the fence.

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